Donkey Kong Country Returns

This article is about the Wii game. For other uses, see Donkey Kong Country Returns (disambiguation).

Donkey Kong Country Returns
For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developers	Retro Studios Nintendo SPD Group No.3
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Wii, Wii U, Nvidia Shield TV
Release dates	Wii (original release): November 21, 2010 December 2, 2010 December 3, 2010 December 9, 2010 December 9, 2010 December 9, 2010 Wii (Nintendo Selects): October 18, 2013 August 27, 2015[?] March 11, 2016 Wii U (digital download): January 21, 2015 January 22, 2015 January 22, 2015 March 31, 2016 (My Nintendo)[?] September 22, 2016 (public) Nvidia Shield TV: July 4, 2019
Languages	English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese Chinese (Simplified) French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe)
Genre	Platformer
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone[?] CERO: - All ages[?] PEGI: - Three years and older[?] USK: - All ages[?] ClassInd: - General audience[?] ACB: - General[?] FPB: - Parental guidance[?]
Modes	Single player, multiplayer cooperative
Format	Wii: Optical disc Wii U: Digital download Nvidia Shield TV: Digital download
Input	Wii: Wii Remote Wii Remote and Nunchuk Wii U: Wii U GamePad Wii Remote Wii Remote and Nunchuk Nvidia Shield TV: Nvidia Shield Controller
Serial code	RVL-SF8E-USZ

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a side-scrolling 2.5D platform game developed by Retro Studios and released for the Wii in 2010. It is the fourth game in the Donkey Kong Country series and a reboot. The game stars Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, who must recover the banana hoard from a new group of villains, the Tiki Tak Tribe. A direct sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, was released in 2014 for the Wii U.

In 2013, the game was ported to the Nintendo 3DS, with the game titled Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. The original Wii game was later released for digital download on the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U on January 21, 2015, in Japan and on January 22, 2015, in Europe. On March 31, 2016, the digital re-release was made available in North America exclusively for My Nintendo users. The game was later made publicly available on the North American Wii U eShop on September 22, 2016. The digital re-release was eventually removed from the Wii U eShop worldwide after its discontinuation on March 27, 2023, making it no longer possible for players to purchase the game. However, players who purchased the title before that date can still play it as long as it is on their Wii U device.

On July 4, 2019, at approximately 9 p.m. UTC+8, the game was silently released on the Chinese Nvidia Shield TV store without any prior notice from Nvidia's Chinese website or its social media accounts. Unlike the other Wii/GameCube ports, this game was never advertised by Nvidia and was known to exist only by approval information from government websites. Nvidia eventually posted about the game on July 12 at 3:13 p.m. UTC+8.

A remaster, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, was released for the Nintendo Switch on January 16, 2025.

Story

“Can't a tired old ape take a nap around here?? A bunch of shifty-eyed musical miscreants just kicked our volcano into overdrive and took over Donkey Kong Island! Enough with the noise, already! These rhythmic rabble-rousers are up to no good. They've been putting some kind of musical mojo on all our animal buddies and toting off every banana in sight. And get this: they've even gone after Donkey Kong's secret hoard! Nothing burns that boy's biscuits like someone messing with his precious bananas! Just what do they want with all those stolen bananas? Back in my day, I'd take care of this mysterious predicament without breaking a sweat, but Donkey Kong and his little pal Diddy Kong are all worked up and ready for action. If anybody can run, jump, cling, and swing to the bottom of all this banana burglary, it's those two!”

—Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns manual

The animals are hypnotized into stealing bananas.

One day on Donkey Kong Island, a large stream of lava erupts from a volcano, sending out small boulders. A tower emerges from the eruption as members of an evil force known as the Tiki Tak Tribe burst from the boulders. The Tikis drift down into the jungle, where they hypnotize the wildlife, including elephants, giraffes, zebras, and squirrels. The Tikis' minions steal every banana from the banana hoard, load them onto large leaves, and then take them onto an airship some point after. Diddy Kong looks out of a window from DK's Tree House and spots the animals with the stolen bananas in the distance. Diddy Kong goes down to check the banana hoard and realizes no bananas are left, and then angrily chases the thieves. Donkey Kong opens the tree house door, noticing the last few loads of bananas being stolen. Donkey Kong shakes his fist in anger. One of the Tikis' high-ranking members, Krazy Kalimba, suddenly appears and pushes Donkey Kong back into his house. He attempts to hypnotize Donkey Kong twice, but he is immune to it. Donkey Kong punches Kalimba and sends him out the front door, Donkey Kong then jumps down from his tree house and starts his new adventure. Diddy Kong joins along once Donkey Kong frees him from a DK Barrel.

After traversing the island's many regions, the Kongs come face-to-face with Tiki Tong, who turns the stolen bananas into juice and spews it on each high-ranking member of the Tiki Tak Tribe to transform them into a pair of hands. After defeating Tiki Tong, he self-destructs in an explosion and sends the Kongs into outer space. The Kongs panic and realize they are about to crash into the moon. Donkey Kong puts Diddy Kong on his back, and with the help of the Barrel Jet and his wind-up punch, the Kongs send the moon down to earth, which destroys the Tikis' base. The tension of the bananas from Tiki Tong's explosion earlier causes the bananas to be released out of the volcano. This eruption sends the Kongs and the moon flying out of the volcano. With the Tiki Tak Tribe defeated, the animals on Donkey Kong Island are freed from their hypnosis. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong land back on the island and celebrate their victory as their bananas rain from the volcano.

After the credits, a Golden Temple appears on the island. If the Kongs get all the Rare Orbs from the eight Kong Temples, they can access the Golden Temple.

Gameplay

Donkey Kong Country Returns plays similarly to the earlier Donkey Kong Country installments. The player controls Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, who can use various moves such as jumping and rolling to defeat enemies and progress in a level. Some abilities were newly introduced in the game. The Kongs can perform clinging to move across green surfaces. The Ground Pound move involves Donkey Kong hitting the ground, which he must do on certain objects, such as switches, to progress in the level.

Unlike the previous Donkey Kong Country titles, Donkey Kong and Diddy each have two hearts to represent their health status. If both Kongs are together, the health counter has a total of four hearts, two per Kong. When a Kong touches an enemy or spikes, they lose one heart. If the Kongs lose all of their hearts, they lose an extra life. If the Kongs crash into an object while riding a Rocket Barrel or a Mine Cart, get hit by waves in the level Tidal Terror, or fall into a pit, water, or lava, they instantly lose a life. If Donkey Kong and Diddy lose all of their lives, the player gets a Game Over.

The Kongs can get an extra life if they collect 100 bananas or a Red Balloon, or by jumping on eight consecutive enemies in a row (just like the Super Mario series). Banana Coins are another common item throughout the levels, and they allow the Kongs to purchase items from Cranky Kong's Shop. K-O-N-G Letters also return in every level, and they are mandatory to collect for a perfect completion score. The game introduces Puzzle Pieces, a few of which appear in every regular level. If the Kongs collect every Puzzle Piece in a level, the player unlocks something in the Extras menu.

The level checkpoints are each represented by a Tutorial Pig at a booth, with some levels having more than one checkpoint. If the Kongs lose eight lives in a level, the Tutorial Pig gives them the option of using Super Kong, who automatically plays through the level. However, none of the collected items are added to the inventory, and when Super Kong completes a level, it stays red from the overworld unless Donkey Kong and Diddy complete it themselves, causing it to turn blue.

Modes

1 Player

In 1 Player mode, the player controls Donkey Kong. If he is by himself, Donkey Kong can throw a DK Barrel to release Diddy, who hops Donkey Kong's back. When Diddy is with Donkey Kong, he can briefly make them hover in midair by using his Barrel Jet. He can also use Donkey Kong for the Kong Roll ability, allowing them to roll into many enemies and go through a straight plain in a level quicker. If the Kongs take two hits while Diddy is on Donkey Kong, the player loses Diddy.

2 Players

In 2 Players mode, the second player controls Diddy Kong. They can control him independently from Donkey Kong, or keep Diddy on Donkey Kong's back. When independent, Diddy can still use his Barrel Jet and also has the ability to cartwheel and use his Peanut Popgun to stun enemies. Diddy has his own version of ground pounding, the Popgun Pound. Diddy is slightly faster and is more agile than Donkey Kong. In the mode, both players share the same stash of balloons, meaning if one of the players survives and the second player runs out of lives, they can only be brought back by a DK Barrel.

The 2-Player Cooperative Mode allows Diddy to be present without Donkey Kong.

Mirror Mode

Jungle Hijinxs in Mirror Mode

The treasure of the Golden Temple is a mirror, which unlocks Mirror Mode. In this mode, level layouts are completely mirrored, and players cannot use inventory items or Diddy Kong. As a result, no multiplayer feature is available during this mode. To add to the difficulty, Donkey Kong only gets one hit point, and as such, all recovery hearts are removed. Clearing all the levels in Mirror Mode will unlock some bonus images in the Image Gallery and is necessary for 200% completion.

Time Attack

Jungle Hijinxs, in Time Attack mode.

The Time Attack mode is accessible when any level has been completed at least once. In this mode, the player can earn one of four medals by finishing it in the fastest time possible. A level in Time Attack starts exclusively with Donkey Kong, even if players have Diddy Kong with them in the main game. When the Tutorial Pig finishes the countdown and waves the green flag, the timer and level will officially start. If the Kongs reach the end of the level and hit the Slot Machine Barrel with a checkered flag on it, then the Tutorial Pig will wave it to stop the timer. Then, the player's total time is recorded and a bronze, silver, gold, or shiny gold medal is awarded, depending on how fast the player completed the level. Shiny gold medals require an even faster time than normal gold medals, and their required time is not shown in the game.

The Kongs do not lose lives in Time Attack mode. As such, there is an alternate procedure for being defeated in Time Attack. The transition uses a stopwatch silhouette. Donkey Kong walks into the black void, then jumps off the top of the screen. He falls back into the level where he would otherwise float down with a Red Balloon, with the player having full control over Donkey Kong starting from the fall. Note that this transition stops the clock but does not reset it. Once the game resumes, the timer ticks up starting from when Donkey Kong was defeated.

Time Attack mode does not affect the game clear percentage, nor unlock anything in Extras; as a result, this game mode is completely optional.

Extras

Main article: List of extras in Donkey Kong Country Returns

Images, music, and dioramas can be unlocked if players perform certain tasks within the game, such as collecting all Puzzle Pieces in levels, defeating bosses and beating Key Temple stages.

Controls

This section needs Donkey Kong Country improvement. Specifically:

• Nvidia Shield controls

Requested improvements must be clear, pertinent, and well-formed. Please refrain from adding bullet points such as "Add more information" or "Write the rest of the article".

This game utilizes two different control schemes, which are the by itself, and the with the , which serves as the primary control scheme.

Wii Remote & Nunchuk

Solo & Co-op

• and : Start Game (At title screen)
• : Jump, Ascend (while using the Barrel Jet)
• or : Grab barrels, vines, cling onto grass patches, Dismount Rambi
• or : Pause
• : Walk, Run, Crouch
• Shake : Ground Pound, Blow (while crouching), Roll (while walking/running), Charge (while walking/running on Rambi)

Co-op only

• or (Donkey Kong): Carry Diddy Kong
• or (Diddy Kong): Ride Donkey Kong; Dismount Donkey Kong

Wii Remote (horizontal)

Solo & Co-op

• : Grab barrels, vines, and cling onto grass patches
• : Jump; Ascend (while using the Barrel Jet), Start Game (At title screen)
• : Pause
• : Pause
• : Walk, Run (while holding )
• : Crouch, Dismount Rambi (while holding )
• Shake : Ground Pound, Blow (while crouching), Roll (while walking/running), Charge (while walking/running on Rambi)

Co-op only

• (Donkey Kong): Carry Diddy Kong (while holding )
• (Diddy Kong): Ride Donkey Kong (while holding ), Dismount Donkey Kong (while holding )

Characters

Main characters

Character	Description
Donkey Kong	The main playable character and the one who can be controlled independently. He can perform usual actions like jumping, rolling on a short distance, and ground pounding.
Diddy Kong	The secondary character. He cannot be controlled independently except for multiplayer sessions, when he can perform the same actions as DK. Using his jetpack, he can hover in midair shortly, allowing him to fly an extra distance after jumping. With his Peanut Popgun, he can shoot enemies with peanuts and stun them for a brief moment. He can be used to perform the continuous Kong Roll.

Supporting characters

Character	Description
Cranky Kong	Runs a shop in each world of the game, except for the Golden Temple. He sells various items in exchange for Banana Coins. Like in the previous Donkey Kong Country games, Cranky starts making snide or contemptuous comments as soon as the Kongs enter his hut.
Tutorial Pig	A character that pops up from the background to offer indications on how to perform certain actions, such as blowing and rolling. He also runs the checkpoint booths.
Rambi	A very strong and rideable Animal Friend, surpassing the powers of Donkey Kong. Rambi can use his horn to defeat enemies and crush solid blocks depicting his face. Rambi's weakness is fire, and by touching fire, Rambi runs away.
Squawks	Available for hire in Cranky Kong's Shop. He warns the player about nearby Puzzle Pieces.
Super Kong	A silver guide available after eight consecutive deaths in a level.

Bosses

Each world of the game ends with a boss battle. Normally peaceful creatures, the first seven bosses display hostility towards the Kongs once hypnotized by the higher-ranking members of the Tiki Tak Tribe, employed to guard portions of the banana hoard. The eighth and final boss is the leader of the tribe himself, Tiki Tong.

Boss battles may be sequential, meaning the boss will become more aggressive as it takes more hits. After receiving the final hit, the creature will faint, and the Tiki that possesses it will reveal itself in a dizzy state, allowing the Kongs a chance to knock it out with repeated punches. However, if ignored for some time, the Tiki will regain consciousness and leave the fight scene, abruptly ending the level, although this has no influence on the game's progress.

Boss	Tiki	Tiki silhouette	Description	Level appearance
Mugly	Krazy Kalimba		Mugly scurries across the battle arena with his mouth open in an attempt to swallow the Kongs. The boss is normally covered with retractile spikes, making jumping on him dangerous. Mugly will slow down as he runs if the Kongs simply jump over him. This causes Mugly to retract his spikes, leaving his rear side open for a jump attack. Mugly will also jump high in the air, trying to thump the Kongs.	Mugly's Mound
Scurvy Crew	The Maraca Gang		The Scurvy Crew's main tactic is digging themselves in the sand and resurfacing one at a time to attack the Kongs. As they lunge their weapons to impale the primates, they can be jumped on to make them raise their claws above their bodies, leaving their sides open for a ground pound or roll attack. Doing either of these will flip the enemy upside down and allow the Kongs to attack its underside, the vulnerable spot. After each member of the crew receives damage, they will return under the ground and slowly spawn from the sand in a tower formation, chasing the Kongs and trying to hurt them. In this formation, they will eventually raise their claws and leave their sides unprotected. The Kongs should now roll into them to scatter each individual upside-down, then proceed stomping on every one of them.	Pinchin' Pirates
Stu	Gong Oh		Stu uses his cauldron to hoard explosives. His definitory strategy is tossing bombs at the Kongs, which can be picked up as their fuse burns and thrown back at Stu to explode and damage him. At several points in the battle, Stu will draw a bulky missile with the entire floor as its explosion range. Occasionally, he will also drop a Tiki Pop.	Ruined Roost
Mole Miner Max	Banjo Bottom		After traversing three sets of mole-infested wagons driven by the Mole Train, the Kongs arrive at the locomotive, where they face Mole Miner Max. The boss simply pops out of the remaining wagons attached to the locomotive, and uses a pickaxe to attack. He will faint once he receives four jump hits.	The Mole Train
Mangoruby	Wacky Pipes		Mangoruby's body is segmented into six electrified spheres, meant to prevent jump attacks. However, Mangoruby will lose its power if the Kongs press on the switches scattered on the battle arena. While electrically charged, Mangoruby will give chase and try to stop the Kongs from pressing those switches. Losing its power makes the creature flee away from the Kongs and enables them to stomp on its body, breaking two of its segments with each attack. During the final two hits, the Mangoruby will release electrical energy that moves around the spheres.	Mangoruby Run
Thugly	Xylobone		As a relative of Mugly, Thugly uses similar tactics during the fight. These include running across the stage and quivering belly flop attacks. Thugly will slow down if jumped over, folding his incandescent shell due to inertia and leaving his rear side open to a jump attack. He will attempt to ram its horn into the Kongs, but will crash into the wall and fall dizzy on his back, offering a chance to attack his belly side. After three hits, Thugly will morph into a second phase, when he starts spewing trails of fire, along with using the other tactics. After another three hits, Thugly will become angrier and add a fireball-spitting attack to his repertoire of attacks. Three more hits defeat him.	Thugly's Highrise
Colonel Pluck	Cordian		Fought on a motionless conveyor belt, Colonel Pluck controls his bipedal robot, Stompybot 3000, used to slam the Kongs. As he slowly walks across the area, he will sometimes suddenly turn red and walk hurriedly for a brief moment. The Kongs can slip past Stompybot 3000 when it raises its feet to walk. Stompybot 3000's vulnerable spot is on its underside, inaccessible due to spikes. However, Colonel Pluck will perform some brisk movements that will reveal the robot's vulnerable zone, which can now be clung to and pounded repeatedly. If done three times, the machine heats up and is eventually destroyed, leaving Colonel Pluck in a flying cockpit. During this phase of the battle, Colonel Pluck will drop BuckBots as it soars across the screen, and will also attack the primates by swooping down on them. When close to the ground, the Kongs can attack him with a jump to inflict damage. Three stomps are needed to defeat Colonel Pluck.	Feather Fiend
Tiki Tong			The head of the Tiki Tak Tribe. Using a serum prepared with bananas and the combined efforts of the other Tikis, Tiki Tong empowers himself with a pair of hands. He uses them in several attack methods, such as laying them flat and sweeping them across the arena, slamming them on the ground, and powerfully clapping them to squash the Kongs. Stomping two times on a hand's back side will destroy it. After losing his hands, Tiki Tong will head into battle using only his main body, raining down fire tikis and swooping to attack. After a while, he will thump full-force into the ground. This creates shock waves, but also unveils the red button on his head. The Kongs must attack this portion three times to vanquish Tiki Tong.	Tiki Tong Terror

Enemies

The Tiki Tak Tribe has invaded a large portion of Donkey Kong Island, scattering its members throughout all the 9 worlds and mixing them with the indigenous population of enemies. The lower-ranking members of the tribe typically resemble bongo drums, the rest being designed after other traditional instruments (kalimba, gong, xylophone etc.), particularly those that possess the boss enemies.

Most of the enemies from the island's natural fauna are specific to certain worlds, though they might briefly appear in other locations. For example, Rawks, which are common in the Jungle world, can be also encountered in Damp Dungeon, a level from the Ruins world, as well as the Golden Temple, the last area to be explored in the game.

Tiki Tak Tribe
Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
Tiki Goon	Grunt-level enemies, slowly moving back and forth on platforms. Although harmful if simply touched from one side, as they bite, Tiki Goons can be destroyed using any form of attack, such as stomping, rolling, barrel throwing, or Rambi's strike.	Jungle Hijinxs	Red Red Rising
Tiki Doom	A larger variant of the Tiki Goon. While its behavior remains unchanged, slowly traversing patches of ground, it can be taken out with three stomps, as opposed to one. A single roll attack is also decisive.	Tree Top Bop	Golden Temple
Screaming Pillar	A stone totem, initially found sleeping. As soon as it hears the Kongs, it wakes up and screams, toppling on the path. Screaming Pillars can crush the protagonists, as well as any other creature standing right below them. However, after collapsing on the ground, they become harmless and can be jumped on and cracked open with a ground pound.	Jungle Hijinxs	Five Monkey Trial
Screaming Pillar (big)	A colossal Screaming Pillar. It ploughs down into the abyss, destroying the Kongs in one hit.	Canopy Cannons	Canopy Cannons
Tiki Buzz	An airborne Tiki that flies on predetermined paths, ranging from straight lines to circles. Its lateral and bottom sides are dangerous to touch, but it can be defeated using any attack technique.	Crazy Cart	Golden Temple
Tiki Tork	A gargantuan equivalent of Tiki Buzz. Three stomps on its body are necessary to defeat it. Alternatively, the Kongs can use any other attack technique once to achieve the same result.	Prehistoric Path	Golden Temple